Bicycle Safety

Putting On A Helmet Might Save You To Ride Again

July 06, 1993

For those who read Dave Barry's June 27 column in this newspaper, this editorial isn't really necessary. Barry, who usually writes funny pieces about exploding cows and other such stuff, wrote instead about every parent's worst nightmare. He wrote about getting the knock on the door telling him that his son had been hit by a car while riding his bike.

Barry's child wasn't wearing a safety helmet, but he was very lucky. The 12-year-old learned a lesson, and he added a note at the end of his father's column:

"I know that bike helmets look really nerdy, and that was my argument. But I don't think I'll ever say that again. Make SURE you wear your helmets. And WATCH OUT FOR CARS."

About 1,000 bicyclists are killed each year. More than half of them are under the age of 14. Most of the deaths are caused by head injuries. Bicycle helmets can dramatically reduce the chance of head injury - by 85 percent according to one study.

Even so, most people, and most children, don't wear helmets when they're riding bicycles. And really, that's foolish. Modern helmets are light and strong and anything but "nerdy" looking. And a rider doesn't have to be hit by a car to risk a severe, possibly fatal, head injury. Any number of things - dogs, cats, obstructions, other riders - can send a cyclist tumbling onto a curb.

So don't be softheaded. If the statistics don't persuade you to wear a helmet, or at least to require your child to ride one, go back and read Dave Barry's column.